I probably shouldn't have gone to the pub at lunch..

There are a few cuts of theirs I still play a lot tho... "Hard to Explain," "Under Control," "Barely Legal."

1. When "Is This It" came out, they were so much better than most music that was out at the time, they seemed as though they were on another level. I would now say rock music is very, very strong right now. And if its not better, its certainly more accessible. They just don't stand out as much.

2. They haven't released an album in about 3 years.

What the hell is Fred talking about?

It could just result in less reflective listening, but sometimes that's a good thing.

The Lily Allen video for Alfie was one of the funniest videos I have seen in a long time. Reminded me of my cousin.

I think I read that piece on Time Magazine back then.

I actually think the Strokes are still pretty good. Their first album was a once-in-a-lifetime deal -- very few bands would have a lifetime of songs that catchy. But the more recent ones kinda rock, actually. They're definitely underrated.

it makes me really happy to see black people at NYC rock shows and black/chinese/white/asian NYC kids skateboarding all over the place these days.. i guess i'm being a little sentimental about something that's totally natural but i grew up in a fairly culturally/racially segregated time+place. suburban jersey in the 90's.. especially as related to music.. i didnt get into hip-hop for years because the rap kids at my school happened to be assholes while the punk/metal kids were my friends.. dumb in retrospect, but hey better late than never.

Too much hip-hop is utterly nihilistic, and too many MCs these days can't rhyme or flow. A friend coined the mocking phrase "the perfect rhyme" to describe the laziest of lyrics, the rhyming of a word with itself. Lots of pop MCs do that. And some who can rap don't say much with it (Ludacris, I'm looking at you!). Despite these flaws, I still find hip-hop compelling. Rock and roll lyrics don't match the cleverness and convolutions that good hip-hop lyrics have, and I'm a sucker for a good beat. But it is tough to find good stuff.

"The Cuervo Gold, the fine Colombian, let's make tonight a wonderful thing"

Happy hour time. Peace.

Strokes are okay, I guess.

1. The Beatles - Stupifiyingly obvious, I know. Still...

2. The Beach Boys - Great music, plus mental illness and dysfunction, too! Very white.

3. Willie Nelson - Like your laid back on uncle; on weed.

4. Elvis - Was a hero to most.

5. The Carpenters - Sappy songs, bad clothes, and anorexia - another winning combination.

6. Guns n' Roses - One hair metal group had to be nominated. And besides, Slash qualifies as our vaguely ethnic but not TOO ethnic buddy.

7. Frank Sinatra - Nobody got more tail than Sinatra. Plus, he made white people feel good about themselves because he stood up for Sammy.

Best thing going right now is the Avett Brothers. Punk-folk-rock band that goes fast-slow, hard-soft and every other direction and do it all well. Amazing energy at their shows and they are about to blow up...jump on while it's still cool.

Enjoyed the article.

It's been a long time since I played frisbee inside a computer, too.

Yours,
Michael

I am a supreme White Music Dork. I mean, that times article is like my experience in reverse. In High School I bought Jay-Z's black album and hid it from my parents. My rap collection has expanded by leaps and bounds since then, and I have a true and deep love of funk as well as a few jazz albums.

The third strokes album is very different from the first two. Nowhere near as good as initial pair, "First Impressions of Earth" is really interesting and has a few great tunes (i.e.: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gk1fl_U1dKU )

Anyway, Ta-Nehisi if you're into the strokes and tv on the radio and the yeah yeah yeahs, you need to get yourself some post-punk.

Listen to some Wire, Gang Of Four, "50,000 Fall Fans Can't Be Wrong," Talking Heads and Joy Division.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S46XKa3uj2U

I'M TOTALLY WIREDDD

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IL45YOtbuy0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7WKmsPluEY&feature=related
(annoying video, great song)